Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3: Act I
by coldgravy
Summary: As a followup to my Halo: Reach novel, I give you MW3! I'm so excited about this one, because it has the best campaign ever; perfect writing material. But yeah, this description is an intro; more details will be in Act II and Act III.
1. Prologue

"_Nikolai, we've got to get Soap out of here."_

"_Da. I know a place…"_

…

No more than four hours ago, Captain John "Soap" MacTavish had killed the rogue U.S Army General Shepherd after Shepherd had attempted to kill all members of his spec-ops unit, Task Force 141, due to the fact that they were close to discovering a deadly secret involving Shepherd that ultimately lead to the ongoing World War III. Soap, his close friend and superior, Captain John Price, and their longtime ally and informant, Nikolai, had killed Shepherd, because they knew the truth, but as a consequence they were forced to go into hiding because they were now viewed as a public enemy for murdering the General of the Army.

Soap's situation was very bad because he had been stabbed straight in the chest by Shepherd, who would have executed him had it not been for the timely intervention of Price. Soap needed medical attention, but as a result of their crime, they couldn't fly to a hospital; however Nikolai did have a PMC-run compound in the Hamal Province of India.

…

"*SWOOSH…SWOOSH…SWOOSH…*". The helicopter rotors slowly died down as Soap's stretcher was removed from the helicopter and rushed into the compound by Nikolai and Price. Soap was barely conscious, but as he was urgently rushed into the building, he reflected on previous moments of his life: when he first met Price, who mocked his name, then the subsequent cargo ship raid, his assassination of Ultranationalist leader Imran Zakhaev, then his kill of Shepherd.

As Price shouted for a medic, Soap's mind was on other things. One of his thoughts was what the future held for himself and Price, now that Task Force 141 was disavowed and that he and Price were the only surviving members of the unit. And they were also the only ones who knew the truth.


	2. The Big Apple

A war in the United States, namely the East Coast, was in progress. Following a terrorist attack on Russian soil with false evidence pointing the finger to the United States, a massive invasion, as retaliation against the United States, had followed. The largest battle was one going on in New York City.

"What's the sitrep on New York?", asked Overlord, the callsign for the commander of the U.S Armed Forces.

"Russian jamming rigs have neutralized our air support. As long as they maintain air dominance it's a losing fight", a battle captain replied.

"We can NOT lose New York. Are there any special mission units in the area that we can request?", asked Overlord, scanning New York via satellite for all available military units.

"J-SOC's got a Delta Force team at Bennett Field. Callsign 'Metal'", the captain replied. The satellite then patched Overlord to the leader of Metal-01, callsign "Sandman".

"This is Sandman. Understand we are OPCON to you, over."

"Glad to have you in our corner Sandman. The Russians are using electronic countermeasures to jam our comms and guidance systems. The primary emission tower is on top of the Stock Exchange. I need your team to destroy it. The jammer's full spectrum, so until it's down, you'll have no radio contact. I have ground assets to get you close, over."

"Copy all. We'll get it done, out", Sandman replied.

…

The Delta Force convoy drove down the war-torn streets of Manhattan, when suddenly they were ambushed by Russians with RPGs hiding in the buildings. "RPG!", yelled the gunner, and the Humvee crashed and rolled. Sergeant Derek "Frost" Westbrook and Sandman were in the Humvee that was hit, and Frost slowly regained consciousness.

"Frost! Get switched on, we gotta move!", ordered Sandman, who then sliced through the stuck seatbelt with his combat knife and climbing out of the destroyed vehicle. Frost tossed his M4A1 out, climbed out of the wrecked Humvee, and hopped down next to Sandman, who tossed him a fresh magazine. "Jammer's 500 meters north. We'll leg it from here. Let's go!". Sandman sprinted over to the other destroyed vehicle, and helped the other two squad members, Truck and Grinch, out of the debris. "Grinch, Truck, you up?"

"We're good!"

Focusing their attention to the battle, Metal Team fired on the small army of Russians ahead of them, with support from U.S Army Rangers and an infantry fighting vehicle. Frost fired at and killed at least three hostiles, but when a Russian charged him in an attempt to knock him down, Frost quickly grabbed the charging enemy and practically body-slammed him onto the ground, breaking his shoulder and arm. The bleeding Russian attempted to crawl away, but Frost quickly shot his wounded opponent in the head so he wouldn't have to suffer.

At this point the enemy platoon had been eliminated, so the U.S forces moved up the street. "Hold your fire; Friendlies!", announced Sandman, as another company of U.S troops and their IFVs crossed the main street ahead of them.

"That means no shooting, Grinch", said Truck.

"No shit", Grinch growled back.

Merging with the new force, Sandman spotted the Stock Exchange; albeit very heavily damaged. "Eyes on the Stock Exchange! Left side, dead ahead!"

"Roger, I see it", Truck replied.

More Russians moved in, backed up by armored cars with machine gunners. The U.S forces opened fire on the Russians, with the Army Ranger's Stryker, callsign "Firefly", making short work of the vehicles and groups of enemies, until a Russian gunship flew in and fired missiles at the Stryker, destroying it. The Hind started firing at the large U.S force, while Team Metal quickly took cover in a building to the left of the enemy helicopter.

"So what's the gameplan?", asked Truck.

"Same as before. Burn the jammer; kill the bad guys."

"I like it", Grinch remarked.

"Up the stairs! On me! Grinch, Truck, hold here till my signal. Frost, with me", ordered Sandman.

"Rog'", replied Grinch.

Frost and Sandman moved upstairs, which was heavily damaged, and strewn with rubble, debris, glass and metal shards. And Russians. Frost switched from his long-range to his close-range sight on his M4A1- as he was using an experimental "hybrid sight", that allowed the soldier to toggle between a high-optic ACOG or a close-medium-range holographic sight. Frost and Sandman quickly killed the two Russians with shotguns that were waiting for them, and then moved up. There was a downed Russian Hind that had crash-landed straight into the building, and the fuselage was still lodged in the side of the complex, providing natural cover for both the Russians and Frost and Sandman. The Russians were using office cubicles as cover, the only flaw being that the wooden cubicles provided absolutely no cover, as the Delta operatives' assault rifles could penetrate the thin wood with no difficulty. As Frost and Sandman moved past the crashed Hind, Frost looked to his left out into the streets, which were swarming with Russians and U.S Army Rangers locked in combat. A Hind flew past the windows, performing a strafing run on the Army forces down in the street.

Frost and Sandman regrouped at a door next to the dead Russians. "Grinch, Truck, tighten up. Maintain the timeline; we need to hit the Exchange."

Sandman suddenly paused, hearing voices behind the door. Russians. "Multiple voices; alley behind this door. Frost, toss a nine-banger", said Sandman. Frost grabbed one of his nine-bang flash grenades, readied it, and a few seconds later, Sandman quickly opened the door, and Frost chucked the grenade into the center of the enemy squad. The nine-bang popped and flashed repeatedly, stunning and blinding the Russians, who stumbled around, but were shot by Frost and Sandman.

"This route should takes us back onto Wall Street. Jammer's not far. Watch the windows and doors - double-check the shadows", Sandman ordered once Grinch and Truck had regrouped with Frost and himself.

"Truck, you got anything on comms?", asked Grinch.

"Nope, nothing but static. This jammer's got us in the dark", Truck replied.

The team moved through the building at the end of the alley, ending up in a jewelry store, which had more than its fair share of Russians. "Shooters in the store below. Switch 'em off?", asked Truck. "Roger that", replied Sandman. The squad opened fire on the enemy force, who returned fire.

"Frost, toss some frags!", yelled Sandman. Frost employed a tactic he had learned from previous experiences: he grabbed a nine-bang and threw that first, and while the Russians were disoriented, he cooked and threw a fragmentation grenade, getting at least three or four kills. The team moved through the store, killing reinforcements while Grinch, the squad's designated marksman, provided overwatch with his MK14 EBR. When the store was cleared, the squad moved out through the hole in the wall, and ran into Anvil Team. "Hold fire, Anvil Team approaching!", yelled Sandman.

"Anybody hit?", asked Sandman to Team Anvil's leader, Grizzly.

"We're good!."

"What's the sitrep on mid-town?", Sandman asked.

"Russians have got it locked down. They're kicking our ass; we can't get through!", Grizzly replied.

"Any word on air support?"

"Still nothing! Guidance systems are scrambled! We need to get that jammer down, now!"

"Let's move!"

Metal and Anvil Teams battled their way through the Russians, but a lot of them were behind cars, debris and jersey barriers. Fortunately, Frost had a pleasant surprise: an XM25 airburst grenade launcher. Frost took aim and fired a few grenades in the direction in the hostiles, getting at least five confirmed kills. The teams moved up, and at one point were attacked by enemy dogs, but the dogs were taken down with ease. Another armored car rolled in, and with two XM25 grenades, Frost obliterated the enemy vehicle. Anvil and Metal moved up into the lobby of the Stock Exchange, and while Anvil stayed and secured the lobby and bottom floor, Metal Team moved upstairs, into the massive Stock Exchange trading room, where they were greeted by a large sum of hostiles. Frost used his XM25 to flush out the enemies in the cubicles and balconies, and switched to his M4A1 to mop up the rest. After killing all of the opposition, the team moved up a platform along the back wall, heading up to the roof, but was ambushed by another squad of Russians on a balcony, which they dispatched without any problem.

Frost took point and started climbing up the ladder to the roof, but a Russian attempted to shoot him once he reached the top. Frost grabbed the front of the AK-47 and tugged the Russian down the ladder. Once the Russian hit the floor, Grinch shot him in the head, killing him. Frost continued up the ladder, where more Russians were guarding the jammer. Metal Team followed Frost up the ladder and assisted him in taking down the opposition guarding the jammer. When all of the hostiles were dead, Sandman ordered Frost to put thermite explosives on the jamming rig. Frost put the explosives in place, joined the rest of Delta Team behind a storage container. "Hit it Frost!", ordered Sandman. Frost hit the detonator, and the jammer collapsed, splitting in half and crashing against a neighboring skyscraper. Immediately after the destruction of the jammer, a buzz of radio chatter came over comms, with different U.S units requesting air support or evacuation.

"Overlord, this is Metal-01! Target neutralized! Do you read me?", said Sandman, trying to contact Overlord. "Roger, 0-1. All systems are operational. We're sending a Blackhawk to your location for exfil, ETA 3 minutes", Overlord replied. Across the building on other rooftops, Russians started firing down at the team. "Contact!", Grinch shouted, returning fire at the enemies.

"ISR is back online. We are detecting multiple hostiles on the rooftops in your area. You have OPCON of a fully armed Predator", Overlord announced. "Solid copy. Frost, establish an uplink with the Predator and buy us some time!", yelled Sandman. Frost equipped the Predator Drone control rig, and scanned the area from the UAV until he spotted the squad, then looking roughly a hundred meters ahead, he spotted the group of Russians firing on him and his squadmates. Frost launched a missile, kept the crosshairs locked on the middle of the enemy force, and Sandman, Truck and Grinch watched as a large AGM struck down onto the building ahead of their position, causing a huge explosion and sending Russians flying off of the building. At that moment, an enemy Hind gunship flew onto the scene, and Frost took notice. Once the next missile was prepared, Frost shot it towards the Hind's cockpit, resulting in a large explosion and then the smoldering remnants of the helicopter spinning down into the streets below. "Hind is smokin'. Nice shot!", said Sandman.

A minute later, the Blackhawk dispatched to pick up the squad arrived, hovering against the edge of the roof. "Here's our exfil! Load up, load up!", shouted Sandman. Sandman climbed into the helicopter, followed by Frost, who was ordered to man the minigun turret while Grinch and Truck climbed aboard. Frost lit the enemies on the rooftops up with a barrage of never-ending machine gun fire until his targets were out of range. "Metal-01, standby for new mission directive, over", announced Overlord. "Roger Overlord, send it", replied Sandman. "We have multiple Russian war ships near our ports. We sent the SEALs to assault the command vessel. Proceed to New York Harbor to assist", Overlord explained.

"Copy your last", said Sandman. A few seconds later, Overlord suddenly alerted Sandman that there were numerous enemy Hinds near the squad's position. Frost scanned the buildings and space between the buildings for activity, and at that moment, an enemy bird flew into view and started firing on the Blackhawk. Frost spun up the gun and started spraying the everliving fuck out of the Hind. The Hind fired a pair of missiles at the hovering Blackhawk, but the pilot quickly moved the chopper forward, causing the missiles to strike the building behind it. Frost resumed firing at the Hind as it chased them through the city to the airspace of an unfinished skyscraper, and eventually shot down the pursuing enemy chopper by targeting the cockpit. Two more Hinds showed up, but Frost shot for the tail rotor on the Hind closest to the Blackhawk, causing it to spin out of control and slam into the other helicopter. "Good work! Enemy bird is down!", announced Grinch. "Think we lost 'em".

"Just keep scanning your sectors", Sandman replied. The squad and the pilots looked around, checking for any other choppers, when suddenly on the other side of the unfinished building, a Hind surprised the crew by flying up vertically, in line of sight of Frost, who started firing at it. "Oh shit! Enemy Hind!", Sandman shouted. "Hold on! Banking left!", yelled the pilot over comms. The Blackhawk quickly flew forward, barely evading a barrage of missiles and machine gun fire. The Blackhawk started circling the frame of the construction site, while being pursued by the Hind. "Frost! Can you get a bead on him?", yelled Sandman. Frost was firing relentlessly at the Hind, and finally damaged it to where it started to spin and catch fire.

While initially relieved, the crew was surprised and panicked when the downed Hind spun towards them, the tail of the Hind striking the Blackhawk, which began spinning out of control as well. As the crew were yelling and shouting as the alarm was sounding and a red light was flashing, Frost almost fell out of the helicopter, holding onto the base of the minigun with his life. For a split second, Frost witnessed the Hind crash into the unfinished skyscraper, causing a massive, destructive explosion that sent metal shards, girders, concrete chunks and barrels flying all directions, one barrel coming within five feet of Frost. Sandman and Truck quickly pulled Frost back into the helicopter, which then nearly collided with a building, the rotors grinding up the walls and windows. The Blackhawk finally stabilized, and stopped spinning. "We're good!", the pilot announced. "Torque feels okay! Tail rotor effective, hydraulics holding. Collective and pitch sat'. Fuel, 70 percent."

"Overlord, this is Metal-01, we're en route to the harbor, out."

"Roger 01, the skies are clear. Good luck, out."


	3. Turning the Tide

The jamming system in New York had been destroyed, and guidance systems and comms were back online, meaning that the battle for New York was turning in the favor of the U.S, who was able to use F-15 and F-22 airstrikes and Predator AGMs to decimate enemy bases and convoys. Overlord watched from satellite feed as Lightning 3-1 launched a full payload of JDAMs at a large SAM battery, and then at an enemy convoy preparing to retreat, causing a great deal of damage and further aiding U.S ground forces in their struggle to push the Russians back to their warships in the Hudson River.

"Good work, Sandman", said Overlord. "We've regained air dominance and pushed the frontline back to the river."

"What's our next target?" asked Sandman.

The satellite scanned for the Russian command vessel, an Oscar-II submarine, and continued the analysis of the sub and its cruise missile silos. "The Russian command vessel is an Oscar-II submarine with enough cruise missiles to level the entire Eastern seaboard", explained Overlord. "We need to strike fast before they can launch a counterattack."

"Roger; what's the mission?" asked Sandman.

"Infiltrate the vessel, take over the bridge, then turn their weapons against their own fleet. I need you to link up with the SEALs and get it done. Good luck", said Overlord. The Blackhawk transporting the Delta team had almost reached the insertion point, where the SEAL team was waiting for them. "What's our infil point?" asked Grinch.

"Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel", Sandman replied.

"I thought it collapsed?" asked Truck.

"It did.

…

Sandman, Truck, Grinch and Frost were in position inside the flooded tunnel, which was completely underwater. Dead, lifeless bodies of civilians floated aimlessly through the water, as well as pieces of debris, traffic cones, barriers, and trash such as soda cans and water bottles. "SDV Team 4, this is Metal-01", said Sandman. "Radio check in the blind, over."

"Roger 01", replied the SEAL leader, "We have you five-by-five. Phase line Echo secure. We have execute authority." "Copy that, we're one minute out", said Sandman.

"Just don't start the party without us", remarked Grinch.

Sandman finished cutting through the vent in front of the team, and Frost pulled it out of the way. The team remounted their SDVs and slowly moved forward after Sandman, scanning around the dark, water-filled tunnel and looking at all of the submerged cars, debris and floating corpses littering the tunnel. "Damn. Think anyone got out?" asked Grinch. "Nothing we can do for them now", replied Sandman. "Maintain 2, 9, 5 degrees, 300 meters to link up."

"Metal-01, got you on the tracker", the SEAL leader stated.

"Roger, approaching rendezvous." The squad eventually exited the tunnel via a massive hole in the side, presumably blasted by mines or missiles, which probably was what flooded the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. The team moved into the bay, hugging the riverbed, where they spotted the Navy SEAL team and their SDVs at the rendezvous point. "Sub's on the move. Intercept window's closing, fast", explained the SEAL leader. The joint force of Navy SEALs and Delta Force set out across the bay, when the SEAL leader picked up a mine on his sonar.

"Mine!" Grinch alerted.

"Keep it steady", Sandman calmly replied.

The team continued through the mouth of the Hudson River, and at one point after passing around another field of mines, the team watched as the hull of a warship violently blew apart, probably hit by a torpedo. The team passed underneath a pipeline, and powered down their SDVs once they were at the riverbed. After waiting a few seconds, the target submarine passed mere feet over Frost, showing up as a long red line on the SDVs' sonars.

"Wait 'till she passes", ordered Sandman. The team waited for about 30 more seconds, until the sub was roughly 20 meters ahead of them, then they powered up their SDVs and moved in towards the tail. Once the team was moving parallel to the submarine, Sandman ordered Grinch and Frost to put mines on the tail of the sub while the SEAL leader did the same thing. "Mine's armed. Clear out!" ordered Sandman. Frost pushed off against the tail of the submarine, getting to a safe distance; then Sandman detonated the explosives, sending a shockwave through the water as the tail and the tail propellers of the massive submarine exploded repeatedly. The sub started to move to the surface, and the team followed it. While the SEAL team departed to prepare the extraction, Sandman informed Overlord that the submarine had surfaced and that the squad's assault had begun, and Overlord reminded Sandman that their objective was to take control of the sub's missiles and use them against the Russian fleet.

Hopping off of the SDVs, Metal Team swam up to the tail of the surfaced submarine and climbed up onto the hull, taking off their diving masks. For a brief moment Frost looked ahead at the damaged Lower Manhattan, which was crowded with jets and helicopters, and watched two large missiles strike one of the buildings. Frost redirected himself back to the mission, and pulled out his weapon, an MP5SD with a red dot optics sight. The team moved up to the hatch, which had just opened, and two Russian sailors climbed out from it, but were shot and killed by the squad. "Frag out!" Sandman announced, pulling out a frag grenade and tossing it into the hatch, clearing out any enemies that might have been waiting for them to come down. "Clear! Head down!"

"Deck secured! We'll hold topside", said Truck. Sandman slid down the hatch, accompanied by Frost. "Alright Frost, sweep and clear. All unknowns are hostile. Rendezvous downstairs", said Sandman. Frost nodded in acknowledgement, and moved through one of the ship's corridors, encountering and killing two additional enemy soldiers. Frost turned right and watched Sandman knock an enemy to the ground, punch him repeatedly, and then kicked him in the head with all of his might, brutally killing him. "Stairs clear. Take left", said Sandman.

The pair moved down a partially-flooded hallway, where they encountered a small pack of Russians trying to put out fires and cease the flooding. The Russians detected Sandman and Frost, and pulled out their guns, firing at the pair of Delta commandos. Frost tossed a flashbang grenade, completely blinding everyone but himself and Sandman, who were affected, but still had some vision, for about four seconds, and when Frost and Sandman fully regained their hearing and eyesight, the small space where the five enemy troops were firing from was crowded with dead bodies. As Sandman and Frost proceeded through another corridor towards the bridge of the sub, a Russian voice was heard over the sub's intercoms, followed by red emergency lights turning on and a loud, deep alarm blaring. "They're gonna scuttle the sub!" Sandman yelled. "We have to get to the bridge, now! Frost, take point!"

Sandman and Frost rushed through the corridors of the submarine, encountering heavy resistance which they proceeded to plow through. Heading through an engine room and another hallway, the pair of soldiers finally reached the bridge of the submarine. "Hold position at the door!" said Sandman. "OK, Frost, put a kicker charge on the door!" Frost pulled out and planted a large C4-rigged explosive charge on the door, while Sandman planted two detonating bars, one on each side of the main charge. Frost and Sandman put fresh magazines into their rifles, and when both of the soldiers were ready, Sandman detonated the charge, blasting through the solid steel door into the sub's bridge. Frost quickly scanned the room, identifying all enemy targets. One such enemy was charging straight for him with a combat knife; Frost dispatched him first. Another enemy was dead ahead, shooting at him with a G18 machine pistol. Frost quickly aimed down his sights and shot the Russian in the forehead.

After killing an enemy behind the one Frost had just taken down with a headshot, and Sandman killing two additional hostiles at one of the command consoles, Frost and Sandman regrouped at the missile control panel. Sandman searched the two bodies of the Russians he had killed until he found the launch keys. "Alright, I got the launch keys. Overlord, this is Metal-01. I send checkpoint Neptune, over."

"Roger 01; copy Neptune", Overlord acknowledged.

"I have the missile key and I'm accessing the launch codes now."

"Grid coordinates follow: Tango Whiskey 0 5 6 6 2 8", said Overlord.

"Coordinates confirmed!" Sandman replied, "Firing on Russian fleet in 30 seconds! Frost, get on the console!" Frost stepped up to the right side of Sandman, who tossed him a set of keys. Frost inserted the missile launch key into the console. "3, 2, 1, Turn!" ordered Sandman. Frost and Sandman turned the keys at the same time, opening the button to fire the missiles. Frost mashed the button, and Sandman immediately informed Overlord that the missiles were armed and launching. Overlord acknowledged, telling Sandman that the SEALs had prepared the team's extraction. "Go! Go!" yelled Sandman. Frost and Sandman climbed up the hatch back onto the hull of the submarine, just as two F-15 fighter jets flew overhead. "Grinch, Truck, let's roll!" ordered Sandman.

"Amen to that!" Grinch replied. Grinch and Truck hopped into one of the two zodiacs floating next to the sub, and Frost and Sandman slid down the hull of the submarine into the other one. "Frost, punch it!", yelled Sandman. Frost sped up the boat, accelerating away from the sub while following Grinch and Truck's zodiac. As Frost and Sandman sped away from the submarine, the sub's missile silos opened up, and began launching the missiles at the targets. "Missiles launching! Keep up with that zodiac!" Sandman shouted. Frost and Sandman tightly followed Grinch and Truck through the maze of Russian warships, which was the center of an absolute warzone: missiles and machine gun fire coming from the ships, Russian helicopter gunships flying low to the water, performing evasive maneuvers and strafing runs, as well as U.S F-15 fighter jets, who were executing similar actions; shooting at the Hinds and battleships. As the two zodiacs passed between two Russian ships, the first pair of missiles launched from the submarine struck down on the two ships, one ship being bisected and riddled with explosions throughout the vessel, and the bridge and deck of the other being completely decimated by the second missile. The combined force of the explosions sent a shockwave through the water, causing a fast, powerful tide that nearly flipped Frost and Sandman's zodiac upside-down.

"Missiles coming in!" Truck shouted as a third missile struck another Russian warship. "Keep on going Frost!" yelled Sandman as yet another missile obliterated an enemy ship 10 meters ahead of Truck and Grinch. As the pair of zodiacs passed by the partially-submerged _USS Nimitz_, a Russian PT boat suddenly rammed Frost and Sandman, pushing their boat onto the flight deck of the _Nimitz_. Frost quickly pulled out his MP5SD and took aim at the boat that was assaulting them. Frost aimed for the mines that were in the back of the boat, fired, and the PT boat exploded in a massive fiery inferno, completely incinerated and blown-to-bits. Frost resumed control of the zodiac and continued following Truck and Grinch through the maze of debris and Russian warships, which were still getting destroyed by the submarine's missiles. Two Chinook helicopters, sent by the SEAL team, flew overhead.

"There's our bird!" yelled Sandman.

The zodiacs passed under a burning pier and ramped up a slab of concrete. The Chinooks lowered down 20 meters towards the surface of the water, and hovered in place, waiting to pick up the squad. "Metal-01, we are feet wet!" announced the pilot of one of the Chinooks. Frost quickly drove the boat towards the Chinook on the left side, and rapidly drove into the back of the Chinook. Frost got out and assisted Sandman and the helicopter's crew chief in dragging the zodiac into the bay of the Chinook. "Overlord, mission complete. All Eagles accounted for."

"Roger, Metal-01, missile strikes on multiple Russian hard targets in your AO. Good work team, that's one for the books."

"Easy day, Overlord. Sandman out." As the Chinooks lifted off and flew out of New York Harbor, Frost looked out at the burning, war-torn Manhattan, as F-15 fighter jets flew in and out of it.


	4. Yuri

Delta Force had been successful in their attempt to stop the Russian invasion of the United States. Their forces depleted, the majority of their fleet destroyed, the Russians were forced to pull out and evacuate the entire East Coast. Numerous radio chatter and news reports documented the U.S making their counterattack as well as numerous military units reporting that the remaining Russian forces were disengaging.

…

_"Beyond the jagged edges of war, there were still Russians who rejected Makarov's lunacy. Men willing to stand against the tide."_

_ "Price, we've got vital signs but they're weak. Soap won't last without proper attention."_

_ "He's a hard bastard. Trust me, he'll make it."_

…

A few seconds later, a radar alarm went off, and the compound's display scanner flashed with the bold, red words "PERIMETER BREACHED".

"We're picking up multiple signatures!" one of Nikolai's allies declared.

"We've got company", said Nikolai.

"It's Makarov. He's tying up loose ends", Price deduced.

_Vladimir Makarov was the leader of the Russian Ultranationalist Party who had taken the role of leadership when the former leader, Imran Zakhaev, was killed by then-Sergeant- "Soap" MacTavish. Makarov was truly malicious, and completely evil. He had committed countless murders, assassinations, terrorist acts; including the slaughtering of innocent Russian civilians at the Zakhaev International Airport in Moscow, which he manipulated to make it seem like the attack was supported and funded by the United States, which ultimately lead to the invasion of the U.S that Delta Force had just recently ended. Makarov had sent his troops, the Inner Circle, to kill Price, Nikolai and Soap; because they were the only survivors of the now-disavowed Task Force 141 as well as the only ones who knew of his actions and his association with General Shepherd._

"Nikolai, who's your best man?" asked Price.

"Yuri. Ex-Spetsnaz. Only man I know who hates Makarov more than you do", Nikolai replied.

"Get him", ordered Price. "They'll use the ridgeline for cover and fly in from the south."

"How do you know?" asked Nikolai.

"It's what I'd do", Price answered.

…

As numerous indistinct Loyalist voices were heard, reporting the helicopters that were flying in, as well as the commandos roping down into the compound, Yuri rushed into the room where Price and Nikolai were assisting the doctor in patching up the knife wound Soap had received from Shepherd. Soap tightly clenched Yuri's shirt and coughed in pain. A moment later, a peculiar whirring or flapping noise became audible, becoming louder as it came closer.

"What is that?" yelled Nikolai. Suddenly his question was answered when an enemy helicopter crash-landed straight into the side of the building, mere feet from hitting Soap and the others, who were knocked to their feet. The crashed helicopter remained lodged in the wall for a couple more seconds before it dropped out, crashing to the ground several feet below. Looking out through the massive gaping hole in the wall, Yuri saw friendly Loyalist men at the back of the courtyard, defending their position, and looking ahead, he eyed at least five Ultranationalist Mi-17s hover in, drop a rope, and rope in enemy forces. "Do whatever this man says!" Nikolai ordered Yuri, referring to Price. Yuri grabbed an AK-47 with a red dot sight and fired back at the Inner Circle commandos that were assaulting the complex while Price, Nikolai and the medic patched up the badly-wounded Soap.

A Loyalist fired an RPG rocket at one of the hovering transport choppers, scoring a successful hit that sent the enemy bird spinning out of control and crashing on a rooftop on the other side of the gate. The courtyard gate blasted open, and Ultranationalist forces stormed into the courtyard. After noticing the breach, Price turned to assist Yuri in taking out the attacking enemy force. A minute later, the enemies deployed smoke grenades, and while Yuri, Price and the remaining Loyalists in the courtyard tried to take out the hidden hostiles, a Hind hovered in, firing a burst of machine gun fire that ripped up the doctor, before another RPG shot from a Loyalist took it down.

"Shit!" Nikolai exclaimed. "The doctor's down! Yuri, get over here! Give him the shot!" Yuri quickly moved over to the table, where the syringe was, grabbed it, and quickly gave Soap a shot of adrenaline to keep his heart beating. As soon as the needle punctured his skin, Soap quickly and momentarily rose up like a zombie; his eyes rolled back, and then he dropped back. At that moment, an enemy soldier kicked open the door; however the moment the door flew open, Price quickly disarmed the hostile, punched and kicked him repeatedly, pinned his opponent against the wall, quickly pulled out his Desert Eagle handgun and shot the Ultranationalist in the head, killing him. "They're on the roof! We need to get Soap to the chopper!" Price yelled. Nikolai helped the now-conscious Soap up off of the table and onto his feet. "I've got him", announced Nikolai. "Yuri, you're with me!" ordered Price.

Yuri did a sideways-roll into the hallway, where Inner Circle soldiers were roping in from the roof. Yuri threw a flashbang grenade, and once his opposition was delirious, he quickly moved to shoot them all. Once they were all dead, Yuri signaled Price, who in turn summoned Nikolai to move up with Soap. Yuri and Price advanced down the stairs, into the courtyard where the surviving Loyalist forces, whittled down to about a dozen men, were holding back the Ultranationalist attackers. Yuri fired at the enemies nonstop with his AK-47 until he heard the distinctive click that stood for "out of ammo". Resting on a crate nearby was an M4A1 with a M203 grenade launcher and a holographic sight, which Yuri grabbed. A minute later, all contacts in the courtyard were neutralized. "Courtyard is clear!" announced one of the Loyalists. Yuri, Price and the remaining Loyalists ran up to the gate, but paused and looked up in the air as a Russian UAV drone flew overhead.

"Russian drone overhead!" yelled Price. "We're outnumbered and outgunned! We need heavier firepower!"

"There's a weapon cache at the edge of town!" Nikolai replied, "We have a UGV stored there!"

"Then we'll use that to get to the chopper. Let's move!"

Price kicked open the gate to the courtyard, and Yuri took point into the village, backed up by the Loyalists and Price. Nikolai kept about 15 feet away to keep Soap protected. As the Loyalist force advanced up the street, they suddenly heard screaming and automatic gunfire, followed by a large mob of civilians running away from their Inner Circle attackers. The civilians were torn to pieces by the gunfire, dropping dead where they stood, and of the large crowd of about 40-odd civilians, only two were left standing. Price, Yuri and the Loyalists returned fire on the Ultranationalists; who fired back. At the end of the street, straight ahead of Yuri, was an emplaced machine gunner, who managed to gun down two Loyalist soldiers.

The rest of the Loyalists and Price took cover behind dumpsters, destroyed vehicles, and whatever cover they could find, while Yuri took a shortcut in the form of an alleyway to the right side of the street. Yuri attempted to turn the corner and flank the gunner, when suddenly a Russian ambushed him. The enemy lunged at him, attempting to melee Yuri with his SPAS-12 shotgun, but Yuri quickly knocked the gun out of his attacker's grasp, and dropping his M4A1, quickly tackled the Russian against a wall, punching and kicking his opponent repeatedly, before pulling out his combat knife and stabbing the Russian in the side of the neck. The dying Russian garbled and coughed blood, before the pain, the knife slicing his windpipe, and blood loss finally killed the soldier, who dropped to the ground. Mere seconds after the dead body hit the ground, a river of blood poured downhill. Yuri pulled his knife out, wiped it against his pant leg, picked up his rifle, and went around the alley. Looking at his target, which did not notice him, Yuri took aim with his grenade launcher, and fired a 40mm grenade, which launched the gunner forward, over the balcony to his death.

As Price and Yuri regrouped, the enemy drone made another pass down the street, firing a missile that killed the rest of the Loyalists and nearly killed Nikolai and Soap, who were still hanging back. "The weapons are in the building directly ahead!" said Nikolai. "Chopper's this way!" Price yelled to Yuri. As gunfire and UAV drone attacks surrounded them, Yuri, Price, Nikolai and Soap sprinted for the building, and once they were in cover, the group paused for a quick moment, then Price and Yuri continued to clear the path. Entering a house to their right, Yuri and Price were joined by five Loyalists. The door to the next alley that led to the UGV was blocked, but a Loyalist with a SPAS-12 blasted the door hinges, collapsing the door. Price and Yuri sprinted up to the door, and Price opened it slowly, checking for any hostiles in the room. Once the room was secure, Yuri joined Price, and assisted him with opening the basement door. Price and Yuri entered the basement, where they found the supply crate containing the Unmanned Ground Vehicle Nikolai had promised them.

"Did you find it?" asked Nikolai.

"I see it", Price replied. Price set down his flashlight, picked up a crowbar, and opened the crate, containing the small, but heavily-armed UGV. "Unmanned Ground Vehicle. 2 centimeter armor plating, mounted minigun, and grenade launcher. Controls are going to be in Russian. Yuri, you're up."

Yuri walked over to the laptop that controlled the UGV, and started it up. The system feed was intact, and he was about to find out whether the weapons worked as well. Price opened the garage door, and Yuri remotely-drove the UGV out, where at least 10 Russians were waiting for them. Yuri spun up the minigun and shredded the Ultranationalists to bits. Yuri moved the UGV forwards, clearing through the heavy enemy force while Price went back to Nikolai and Soap. As Yuri maneuvered the UGV towards where Nikolai had left the chopper, a Havoc attack helicopter arrived, and fired at the UGV. "Use the grenade launcher!" Price shouted. Yuri complied, taking aim at the helicopter and firing two grenades, both hits. The second grenade also had a larger explosive affect, and the explosion to the tail of the Havoc sent it crashing down. The UGV drove forward, encountering multiple enemies, which were killed in a matter of seconds by the UGV's minigun. Three more helicopters; one Hind and two Mi-17s, arrived, but Yuri was ready. Yuri launched a pair of grenades at the first Mi-17, destroying it instantly in a large explosion, and then fired at the tail rotor on the second Mi-17 with the minigun, damaging it. The crippled helicopter spun and swerved out of control, getting dangerously close to the Hind, when the Mi-17 hit the Hind head-on, knocking both choppers out of the sky.

Nikolai and Price had just loaded Soap onto the Little Bird helicopter, and were preparing to take off when the Russian UAV drone, which had just begun another pass, fired a missile, but it was directed at the UGV. The missile had devastating results on the UGV; it took out the UGV's grenade launcher and one of its treads; it split the minigun in two, and flipped the UGV on its side. The last thing the camera on the UGV saw before it completely turned static was the UAV soaring overhead, turning around to make another bombardment.

"Yuri! Run to the chopper! Move!" yelled Price. Yuri quickly jumped up from the laptop and sprinted out the garage door, as the UAV made another run. The UAV started firing, and knocked over a tree, which Yuri quickly evaded. The drone soared over Yuri, who continued running to Nikolai's chopper, and was almost about to reach it when the UAV fired another missile, hitting the base of the platform he was standing on. The platform shook and then started crumbling, pieces of rock and metal rolling down the steep hillside. Yuri desperately grabbed at the remaining platform and tried to climb back up, but the thing gave way, sending Yuri sliding down the hill as the UAV fired more missiles at him. Two missiles hit the base of a building, which Yuri managed to dodge being crushed by at the last second. Yuri reached the end of the cliff and fell a moderate distance into the valley below, aiming for the center of the river at the bottom. Luckily Yuri managed to land in the water, but the current was incredibly strong, knocking Yuri about until he managed to quickly grab a root against the bank. Holding onto the root, Yuri placed his other hand on a rock, and hauled himself out of the raging river. Yuri, soaking wet, slowly crawled out of the river, as Nikolai landed the helicopter down in the open area.

"There he is! There's Yuri!" exclaimed Nikolai.

"Good, we'll need him", said Price. "We're going after Makarov."

"Yuri? Who the bloody hell's Yuri?" asked Soap, who was finally back on his feet.


	5. Missing in Action

**This chapter was fun to write, and in advance I will state that when Harkov is "admiring" Alena, which was based upon my initial thoughts; and I'm sure some of you guys thought the same thing, but I will say it is not canon. Or at least, that we are aware of. That and the name of the Vice President, which also isn't officially named in the game, but I gave him the name Alan Hunter because it (in my opinion) seems like an average, believable name, as opposed to something like Jefferson Steelflex.**

Following the Russian invasion fleet's retreat from the United States, Russian President Boris Vorshevsky was en route to a peace conference in Hamburg, Germany, where he and the rest of his representatives would join U.S Vice President Alan Hunter and officially end the hostilities between the United States and Russia.

President Vorshevsky, his representatives, his daughter, Alena, and a unit of FSO agents were aboard the Ilyushin Il-96-300PU Russian Presidential Aircraft, two hours from landing in Germany. The plane was heavily guarded; a pair of fighter jets was escorting the plane, and a large team of FSO agents, including Agent Andrei Harkov, Sgt. Anton Federov, and Commander Leonid Pudovkin, were onboard as well.

Agent Harkov was a member of FSO Team 1, along with Federov and 6 other guards. Team 1 had orders to protect the President and the Russian officials at all costs, and for the time being, all seemed secure. Federov and Agent Harkov were escorting the President into the plane's conference room, and as President Vorshevsky walked down the hall with the two FSO agents, he was joined by his quite-attractive daughter, Alena Vorshevsky. "Vasili's waiting for you, Father", reported Alena.

"He's expecting an answer from me", replied President Vorshevsky. As the President, his daughter, and the President's two guards walked to the conference room, Harkov could not take his eyes off of Alena's gorgeous body; particularily her rear. Harkov knew that he would have to keep his sexual urges to himself however; for if the President or Commander Pudovkin found out, he would be faced with a number of things; death, being court-marshaled, executed, or imprisoned, to name a few possibilities.

"I don't like him", Alena remarked, referring to Vasili.

"No one does. That's why he's good at his job", replied President Vorshevsky.

"What will you tell him?" asked Alena.

"The truth."

"He won't want to hear it."

"He has no choice. I'm the president", said Vorshevsky. Outside of the conference chamber, Vorshevsky turned to his daughter and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll see you at dinner", he smiled. Alena hugged her father, then turned left and was escorted downstairs by another agent from Team 1. Boris Vorshevsky opened the door to the conference room, where the rest of his cabinet were seated, waiting patiently for their President to arrive. As the President walked in, followed by his two guards, he was greeted by the seated representatives.

"Gentlemen, we only have two choices: peace or war. Life or death. For the sake of our children, we must seek peace with the West", announced President Vorshevsky.

"Mr. President, now is not the time to appease our enemies", Vasili Zhukov suggested.

"We destroy our enemies when we can make friends with them. If we cannot end our differences, at least we-". The President's response was cut off when the sound of automatic gunfire and yelling was faintly heard, further ahead in the plane. President Vorshevsky and the cabinet members quickly got out of their seats, while the FSO agents equipped their Five-Seven pistols.

"Hijackers are taking the plane!" one of the Team 3 agents shouted over comms. "The cockpit's been breached!" the agent reported. "Mr. President, get down!" ordered Commander Pudovkin. President Vorshevsky and the representatives crouched down, while Pudovkin tried to contact Team 3. "Damn it Team 3, report!"

"Everyone down!" shouted Pudovkin. "Protect the President! Code red! I repeat, code-"

For a split-second, a beeping sound was heard, instantly followed by the door being blasted open by explosive charges. After the initial shock, the FSO agents got back on their feet to face the attackers, who attempted to storm the room. The Commander jumped up and knocked one of the attackers down; as he bludgeoned and bashed the first attacker to death, he shot a second terrorist in the stomach three times with his pistol. Harkov killed the third assailant with a single headshot. After the trio of enemy attackers was dead, the agents got back up and started pushing forwards. As Harkov and Pudovkin ran through the corridors of the plane, the colossal plane suddenly shook left, nearly knocking the pair of agents off their feet. As Harkov moved to turn around the corner, an enemy ambushed him from the other side, attempting to hit Harkov with the butt of his AK-74u, but Harkov shot the attacker in the groin with his Five-Seven, causing his opponent to flinch in pain. Harkov quickly took advantage of this, by pulling the rifle out of the wounded terrorist's hands and firing a burst at the enemy, killing him.

Harkov and Pudovkin joined up with Team 2, who was in the midst of an intense firefight. The agents were barely holding out against the large enemy force, with their numbers whittling down, the seats, which they were using as cover, being torn to pieces, and their ammo running low. Harkov and Pudovkin assisted Team 2 in forcing the enemy back, when suddenly the plane shook up, and then violently thrashed around that everything and everyone in the room began to float around in the zero-gravity as the plane stalled and began to lose altitude.

Even during the extreme turbulence, the battle still continued. As FSO agents and Ultranationalist terrorists alike were tossed and shaken around, Harkov took aim with his gun and killed at least four or five floating enemies before the plane finally became more stable and the gravity was restored, dropping everything to the ground. The agents got back up, Pudovkin killing another attacker that had suddenly appeared. "Team 2, retake the cockpit!" ordered Pudovkin. The remaining members of FSO Team 2 moved towards the cockpit, while Commander Pudovkin and Harkov pushed downstairs. "They have the daughter hostage in the cargo bay!" one of the Team 3 members shouted over comms. "Roger! Team 3, backup is on the way!" replied Pudovkin. The pair of agents moved through the downstairs kitchen, engaging more hijackers, which were all dead a minute later. "All teams, there are additional hijackers on the lower decks", announced Pudovkin. "Federov, protect the President."

"This way, sir", said one of the agents to the President. Federov and the two other Team 1 agents escorted President Vorshevsky to a safe distance from the main firefight as Harkov and Pudovkin cleared another operational room. "Room clear!" announced the Commander. "The cockpit door has been jammed shut", announced the leader of Team 2. "Keep pushing forward!" replied Pudovkin.

Harkov and Pudovkin breached the cargo bay, where a group of eight or so hijackers had Alena Vorshevsky- Harkov's secret love interest- hostage. "Help me!" Alena screamed. Harkov quickly moved forwards, punching an enemy in the ribcage, and then grabbing him. Another hijacker attempted to shoot Harkov, who turned the enemy he was fighting towards the gunfire, resulting in the injured terrorist being used as a human shield, killing him. Harkov dropped the deceased Ultranationalist and quickly shot the terrorist standing over Alena in the throat with his handgun, then turning to take down another pair in front of him while Pudovkin took care of the remainders. Harkov quickly ran over to the terrified Alena and helped her up on her feet. Alena was crying and breathing heavily, clearly very traumatized by the events that were taking place, and Harkov compassionately gave her a pat on her back and right shoulder.

"Room clear! Daughter secure", Pudovkin reported. President Vorshevsky quickly rushed up to his daughter and tightly hugged her, trying to calm her down and make her feel safer once more. "Move the President and his daughter to the safe room!" ordered Pudovkin. "Harkov, Federov, move up!"

"Attempting emergency landing!" announced one of the pilots.

Harkov and Federov engaged another pack of hijackers in the passenger quarters as more enemies arrived through the back doors. "Brace for impact!" shouted the pilot. Harkov and Federov quickly ducked down behind the seats, tightly clenching whatever they could get a hold of.

"We're gonna hit! Hold on!" screamed one of the Team 2 members.

For a millisecond, there was a quick silent moment, and then the plane crashed on the runway of the airport below them. Loud screeching sounds of metal grinding were heard as the plane's fuselage scraped along the runway, barely muted by Alena shrieking in terror. The tail section of the plane began to quickly crack and break apart, rolling down the runway and collided with the air control tower, destroying it in a large explosion. Harkov watched in horror as he spotted Sgt. Federov, screaming as he fell out of the gap in the bisected plane into the ground, to his death. One of the plane's engines, which had torn off from the severed wing flew towards the fuselage and towards Harkov, crashing into Harkov and rendering him unconscious.

…

Harkov regained consciousness an undetermined amount of time later, in the wreckage of the plane, which had crash-landed close to an airport, though Harkov was not sure whether the airport was the one that they were originally heading to. Harkov was spotted by Pudovkin, who quickly moved to help him up. "Come on Agent Harkov, we have to find the President."

The injured pair of FSO agents slowly walked through the wreckage of the downed plane, past the burnt corpses of Ultranationalists and FSO agents, as well as seats and crates that had been bent and torn to pieces. Harkov and Pudovkin exited the crashed plane into the snowy grounds outside of the airport. Harkov looked around, at the burning pine trees and debris from the plane, wondering how such a catastrophe could have happened. Clearly he was not the only one, for the radios and comms were heard questioning and theorizing how the hijackers managed to evade security and infiltrate the plane. Harkov and Pudovkin spotted a party of surviving FSO agents, who had found Alena, along with a small number of Russian cabinet members that survived the crash as well. "Secure the daughter and move her to safety", Pudovkin ordered. "Harkov, with me. We have to find the President."

As the other FSO agents wrapped a warm blanket over the shivering Alena and escorted her and the cabinet away from the crash site, Harkov and Pudovkin moved on through the dark, snowy crash site, eventually getting contacted by FSO Team 4, who informed the Commander that the President was secure, and then proceeded to fire a flare up into the air to mark their location, which was just on the other side of the ridgeline. The pair of Team 1 agents arrived outside of an aircraft hangar, and was greeted by a not-so-friendly welcome party of Ultranationalist troops. Harkov and Pudovkin relentlessly pushed through their opposition, hurrying as fast as they could to get to the other group of survivors, who were under heavy fire and were losing ground, fast. "All agents, our situation is critical!" announced a Team 3 member. "The President's security is compromised! Code black! I repeat, Code black!"

Harkov and Pudovkin reached the President's position, flanking around and killing the squad of enemies attacking the President and the remaining FSO agents. The pair of Team 1 agents moved up, and Pudovkin ordered the remaining agents guarding the President to hold fire, as they were coming in. An Mi-17 helicopter flew in and landed near the wreck, where President Vorshevsky, Vasili Zhukov, and a pair of FSO agents were waiting. "There's the President. Mr. President, we have to get you out of here", Pudovkin urged.

"Where's my daughter?" asked the President.

"She's being secured, sir. We need to move you now. Harkov, open the door!"

Agent Harkov opened the door of the Mi-17, and was both surprised and horrified to see that Vladimir Makarov, the merciless leader of the Ultranationalists and a man responsible for countless deaths, murders and terrorist attacks, was in the hold. Harkov had only half a second to react before Makarov shot Harkov in the arm with a pistol. Harkov instantly dropped onto the snow, partially paralyzed, and watched as some of his men came out of the helicopter, killing Vasili and the pair of FSO agents, and severely wounding Pudovkin. Pudovkin dropped to the ground on his knees, coughing up blood, and attempted to stand up, but Makarov put the barrel of his handgun to the back of Pudovkin's head and fired, splattering the FSO Commander's brains and blood across the snow.

"You know who I am?" asked Makarov.

"Yes…", President Vorshevsky coughed.

"Then you know what I want?"

"You're insane."

"Russia will take all of Europe, even if it must stand upon a pile of ashes. I want the launch codes, Mr. President."

"You'll never get them!"

Makarov was unfazed. "Every man has his weakness. Find the girl."

Makarov's men shoved President Vorshevsky, pushing him into the helicopter. The enemy soldiers walked back into the chopper, and Makarov was following, until he eyed Harkov, who was still alive but feigning death, reaching for the Five-Seven dropped by Pudovkin. Makarov quickly turned and fired a quick shot into Harkov's head, killing him, before he climbed aboard the helicopter and went to plot the next move in his sinister plan.


	6. The Hunt Continues

**"Back on the Grid". 'Nuff said; except I will say that this chapter contains the word "negro" once, but it is not used in a racist or derogatory case, so I'm not going around like most of these little Internet troll turds calling people "niggas" or anything like that. I put it in because 1: the only instance where I saw that word fitting in smoothly was in the sentence it was used in, 2: because I try to use as many synonyms as I can while keeping awareness to censoring and all that, and 3: because I know that amidst all of the trolls and… trolls, there are good people. Good people, who don't take things too lightly or seriously, and don't see the n-word and scream "racist". Anywho, please enjoy and if you liked this chapter or any others, be sure to comment!**

"_RUSSIAN PRESIDENT IS MISSING; Disappeared only hours ago... US government are in talks. Evidence points to extremist groups."_

_ "The Russian President never arrived in Hamburg for the peace summit. With his whereabouts currently unknown, no one is certain what this means for the peace treaty..."_

…

"Looks like Makarov just played his next hand", said Soap.

"If he puts himself back on the grid, he wants it to be known", Price replied.

"So where do we start hunting?" Soap questioned.

"Africa", Yuri replied. "Makarov's been using local paramilitary group to move shipments into Sierra Leone. From there they go to Morocco, then Spain."

"He's moving north", Soap remarked.

"Right towards her majesty's doorstep", Price added, putting two-and-two together and realizing that Makarov's target was the United Kingdom, namely London. "What's the cargo?" Price asked.

"I don't know", replied Yuri. "But it's important to him."

"Then I want it."

"We can use the river to get in close. There's a factory where they store the shipments", said Soap, showing his two partners the route on the map with his finger. Soap then pulled out photographs of the PRF militia group. "The PRF's been waging genocide in the highlands for months. They'll be everywhere."

"Makarov wouldn't let this travel lightly if it didn't serve a greater purpose... and chances are the bastard will be there personally to see things off", said Price. "If he's back on the grid, then so are we."

…

The small creek in Sierra Leone was tranquil and calm. The water was flat, and mosquitos and horseflies were buzzing around and above the water, occasionally landing on the surface of the water and then getting snapped up by a hungry fish. The sound of frogs croaking and crickets and other insects chirping and buzzing was also audible. It seemed like an average day at the riverbank, until Yuri broke the surface of the water, pulling out a suppressed sniper rifle and quietly locking and loading. The fish swam away, and continued moving away from a potential predator as Soap and Price also came up. Yuri looked around, checking to make sure that their entrance had gone unnoticed, or at least, from the local militia.

"Nikolai, we're just outside the village", Price reported over his comm.

"Copy. I'll pick you up in one hour", Nikolai answered.

"The factory isn't far from here", explained Price. "Makarov's cargo should be there. Keep it silent; let's move." The trio slowly swam up the river, reaching shallow water and then coming up onto the riverbank. "Maintain a low profile", said Soap. "The militia's all over this area."

"And Soap, try not to die this time", Price jokingly remarked.

"You worry about yourself old man", Soap quietly chuckled.

Yuri, Price and Soap crept alongside the hill surrounding the riverbank, staying hidden in the reeds and tall grass. The group paused against a bridge crossing the ditch as a couple of technical ferrying militia drove past. The group continued to stay hidden in the grass as one of the vehicles dropped off a single troop. The vehicles drove away from the soldier, who casually walked towards the river. The soldier suddenly stopped, spotted Soap, but before the militant could raise the alarm, Soap quickly tugged his leg, pulling him down. Before the soldier could hit the ground, Soap silently stabbed him with a knife, and dragged the lifeless body into the creek so that it wouldn't be discovered by the rest of the militia.

"Move", whispered Price.

The group stealthily moved ahead, but continued to remain hidden in the bushes, shrubs and grasses. "Two x-rays, eleven o'clock", said Soap. "Take 'em out, Yuri", Price replied. Yuri took aim with his suppressed M14 EBR and fired two shots, taking both hostiles down. Moving up to a camp, the group spotted a hyena, which was behind a fence, snarling, barking and growling at them, but was killed when Price fired a shot from his suppressed pistol at the head of the canine, killing it without raising the alarm. The three men crept closer into the camp, where they spotted a trio of militia, talking in their native language while walking around a captured villager. Yuri, Soap and Price couldn't understand what they were saying exactly, but looking at their bodily motions, the gasoline container in the hands of one of the militia, which had been poured on the villager, and the tones of their voices, they realized that the militia were about to incinerate the old man.

"They're gonna torch the old bastard", Soap commented.

"Let's light them up before they light him up", Price suggested. Before the group of militia could light a match and drop it on the oil-drenched villager, Price, Yuri and Soap quickly killed the enemy troops. Yuri moved over to the old man, and cut through his bindings with his knife. The old man thanked them, and ran off into the jungle. Price, Yuri and Soap continued up the road, using the bushes and grass as cover. Looking ahead, Price spotted a pair of militants, standing guard over a trio of abducted civilians. Moments after one of the militia had executed one of the hostages, Yuri took aim with his sniper rifle and was about to scatter the Negro's brains when Price stopped him. Price pointed to the left, and Yuri turned to look. Another convoy of technical transporting militia were coming, and this convoy was twice the size of the previous one, meaning that if Yuri did fire, it would result in instant death for him and his two allies.

"Don't do anything stupid, lads…" whispered Price, quietly waiting for the convoy to pass. A minute or so later, the trucks had passed, and the three men watched as the two militants finished their conversation and killed the two other captured villagers before walking off in the direction of the convoy.

"Alright, get ready. Move", said Price. Yuri, Soap and Price crept alongside of the road, when suddenly Price heard and spotted vehicles coming around the corner. "Get down now!" he urgently whispered. He, Yuri and Soap quickly went prone, sitting motionless in the grass at the edge of the trail as the trucks full of militia slowly drove past them, their stereos blasting with loud rap music. "Easy…" muttered Price. After waiting a little longer, the vehicles moved on, their loud music fading away. "All clear", said Price.

Price, Soap and Yuri came out of the grass and took shelter in a small shed on the side of the road. "Hold up", said Soap, who had glanced out the door, checking for any nearby hostiles. Sure enough, there was a small group of militants, walking past the shed. Looking through the small space in the crack of the door, Soap's eyes followed the militia until they were out of sight. "Clear."

The three men quietly walked out the door and up against another small bridge crossing a small ditch. On the bridge were two more enemy guards, as well as another technical, which was slowly passing them. "Two more on the bridge. We'll have to take 'em out", Soap advised.

"Wait for the truck to pass", Price added.

"Drop 'em!" ordered Price, once the truck had passed by. Yuri quickly took care of the pair of enemy soldiers, who dropped to the ground. Price and Soap stood up, grabbed the arms of the lifeless militants, and dragged them down off the bridge and into the ditch to ensure that they would not be discovered. "Move up", said Price.

The trio climbed up onto the bridge and quickly sprinted across the road, reaching the outskirts of the village where Makarov's cargo was being held. Suddenly Soap silently motioned to Yuri to hold as Price got in position at the entrance and waited for a lone soldier patrolling to come close enough; once the enemy troop was in position, Price quickly equipped his knife, thrust the guard up against the wall, and stabbed him in the back of the neck with his knife, killing him silently and effectively. Price pulled the bloodied knife out of the dead African and put it back in its sheath.

"I see the factory", announced Soap, "It's just up the road."

"Right. Soap and I will advance. Yuri, you're on overwatch. Get to a position on a roof and cover us", Price replied.

"Affirmative", Yuri muttered. While Price and Soap moved up into the village, Yuri ascended up the ladder onto the rooftop of the shed, where an enemy sentry was asleep in a chair at the top. Yuri carefully set down his sniper rifle, being careful not to alert the guard to his presence. Yuri pulled out his knife and grabbed the sleeping soldier. The soldier's eyes suddenly widened as Yuri covered the mouth of his victim with one hand, and slit the guard's throat with his knife in the other hand. The soldier's eyes rolled back into his head, and Yuri felt no more resistance and movement from the now-dead guard. Yuri dropped the body on the ground and picked up his sniper rifle, setting down the bipod and scanning through the scope until he spotted Soap and Price. Yuri watched Price and Soap quickly take out a pair of militia and duck into the building.

"Hostiles approaching. 5 meters", reported Price. Yuri turned and aimed for the pair of enemy soldiers approaching down the alley. Yuri fired one shot, which hit one of the soldiers in the foot. The militant dropped to the ground in pain, as his partner quickly scanned around, trying to spot whatever or whoever injured his comrade. The partner found out a few seconds later, but not soon enough, as Yuri shot him straight in the chest twice, instantly killing him. Yuri redirected himself back to the first enemy, who was slowly crawling away, leaving a trail of blood. After he had found his target, Yuri fired another bullet, hitting the crippled soldier in the back, killing him.

"Two more from the West. Take them down", Soap alerted Yuri. Yuri looked around and spotted another pair of militants, heading straight for the dead bodies of the first patrol. Sure enough, the second pair of soldiers was alarmed upon seeing the bleeding corpses of their comrades, and one of the soldiers raised the alarm; first by shouting and yelling and then by firing his AK-47 in the air.

"We're compromised!" shouted Price, as a large number of militia started appearing from multiple directions. "Yuri, get over here!" ordered Price. Yuri pulled out his own AK-47, which was equipped with a red dot sight and a sound suppressor. Yuri hopped down off of the tower, onto the roof of the small shed below it, and rolled forwards, landing perfectly on his feet. There was no time to take a break, seeing as practically the entire village was trying to kill him, so Yuri instantly started running up the alley while Soap and Price covered him. Yuri turned left, heading down the next alley, and Price and Soap continued to suppress the numerous enemies on the ground and on the rooftops. Yuri, Price and Soap continued to push through the village, reaching a house and climbing up a ladder onto the second floor.

"I think they know we're here", Soap remarked.

"All that matters is Makarov's cargo!" Price implored. "Keep moving!"

Yuri, Price and Soap battled through the small building until they reached an open area, possibly the village center, where they were suddenly engaged by a technical that had appeared from the left. "Yuri, take out that gunner!" Price yelled. Yuri fired a small burst of his AK-47 at the gunner, hitting the gunner in the arm. The gunner suddenly turned the .50 cal. and fired; but since he could not accurately aim due to the pain of his bleeding arm, the rounds he fired struck an explosive container on one of the rooftops, which exploded and sent at least three enemy soldiers flying off the rooftop to their deaths. Looking ahead, Yuri eyed a second technical coming straight up the road as well as another large cluster of militia on the rooftops. Moving from cover to cover, Yuri made his way to the back of the first technical, pushed the dead gunner's body aside, and manned the .50 cal. machine gun. The technical's .50 cal. was no match for the second vehicle, tearing the hood and tires to shreds. Once the second technical was dead, Yuri stopped firing for a brief moment to prevent the machine gun from overheating, and then resumed mowing down the large group of militia on the rooftops until a large, sudden explosion blew up near him, nearly knocking him off of the technical.

"Mortar fire inbound! Hold on!" shouted Soap, before a second mortar hit the front of the technical, throwing Yuri off and destroying the vehicle. While Price ran for cover across the road, Soap dashed over to Yuri and helped him back up. "Get up! We've got to get the hell out of here!" Soap yelled. Yuri quickly grabbed his rifle and started running after Price and Soap as mortar fire and gunfire tore up the buildings and sheds surrounding them. "Mortar, incoming right!" Soap announced as a visible mortar shell obliterated a small house on the right corner. Yuri jumped over the bricks and mortar that crumbled in front of him, successfully dodging them. "Mortar left!" yelled Price, as another mortar round took out a house to their left. Yuri, Soap and Price continued running as fast as they could, turning left and then going through a shed. "Go, go, go!" Soap yelled. The trio quickly went up a ladder, running across the rooftops while mortars pounded the buildings around them. At one moment, Yuri leapt down onto another rooftop, but the ceiling gave way, collapsing and dropping Yuri down into the building. Yuri looked up and spotted a militant with a large machete, rushing him in an attempt to stab him, but Yuri fired a quick bullet from his AK, killing the African instantly.

"Yuri, I see you! Just keep moving!" yelled Price. Yuri kept running until he ran up the slope and regrouped with Price and Soap. Soap then spotted where the mortars were being fired from.

"They're firing mortars from that tower!" Soap exclaimed.

"Yuri, slot the bastards!" Price yelled in response. Yuri sprinted ahead as fast as he could, dodging gunfire from the militia guarding the mortar tower, running up the stairs, and first shooting the soldier firing the mortars, killing him. The other soldier quickly turned around, but Yuri charged forwards, shoving the soldier off of the tower. "They're down", Soap announced. "But we've got a large group of militia heading our way."

"Then let's give them a proper welcome", Price suggested. "Yuri, man the mortar on the roof!"

Yuri crouched down and began operating the mortar launcher. Turning and aiming it to where the mortars originally started firing at them from, Yuri spotted a pair of technicals and at least 15 militants. Yuri fired a mortar between the two technicals, destroying both with a single mortar. Yuri put another mortar in the launcher, firing it and killing half of the militia that had shown up with the technicals. After Yuri destroyed everything in the village, including another large pack of militia and another pair of technicals, Price shouted to Yuri that they needed to hit the church and recover Makarov's cargo. Yuri left the mortar and rejoined Soap and Price at the end of a drainage pipe. Soap placed his hands on the rusted grate and pulled it out of the way.

"Nikolai, approaching the church now", Price updated. "And you're sure the cargo will be there?"

"It's the only area they could have moved it to", Nikolai replied. "If not then it's already on its way to Europe."

"Let's hope he's right", Soap remarked.

The group continued to push through the village; moving through the basement of the burned building, they exited into an open area, the church in the center. As predicted, a helicopter flew in towards the back of the church. "We're out of time! Get to that church now!" yelled Price. Soap, Yuri and Price rushed through the gunfire of the surrounding militia, straight to the front door of the church. Reaching the church, the front doors flew open as a group of militia and two hyenas dashed out. A hyena lunged at Soap, but Soap quickly kicked it in the head, knocking it unconscious. The other hyena also attempted to attack Yuri, but Yuri punched it with his fist and then shot the hyena in the spine with his AK. Yuri, Soap and Price stacked up at the door into the church's rear, and Yuri kicked down the door. As soon as the door fell, a hyena jumped and grabbed his right hand. Yuri freed his hand, and while holding back the vicious hyena with his left hand, he pulled out his pistol with his right hand, and killed two militants before pointing the gun at the side of the hyena's head, firing three shots that killed the hyena. It was too late, however. As soon as Yuri got back up, the helicopter was already taking off, carrying a load of crates and boxes. The three men fired at the helicopter in an attempt to bring it down, but to no avail. The helicopter had escaped.

"Damn!" Price cursed. "Nikolai, the shipment's gone. We missed our window."

"What about Makarov?" Nikolai questioned.

"Must've done a runner. Get us out of here."

After searching one of the remaining crates, Soap asked, "What do you think Makarov was after?"

"We'll ask the bastard when we find him", replied Price.


End file.
